1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sanitary glove containers, and more specifically, to a compact, portable container used to carry one pair of sanitary gloves in a manner which will reduce the chances of damaging the gloves and reduces exposure of the gloves stored therein to contaminants.
2. Description of the Related Art
Medical and rescue workers treat persons in emergency situations on a daily basis. Oftentimes, while treating the victims of these emergency situations, these workers come in close proximity to pathogens that may cause a variety of illnesses. By using sanitary gloves, these emergency workers can effectively limit their exposure to these diseases. Sanitary gloves can also protect the victim from germs that are present on the worker""s hands. However, these emergency situations require quick response and split second decision making, and the sanitary gloves may not be readily available. As a result, the medical or emergency worker might have to make the undesirable choice whether to risk exposing themselves or the patient to dangerous pathogens or germs or delay treatment until gloves are acquired.
To address this concern, several different glove containers have been developed. For example, the invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,785 discloses a device used to hold sanitary gloves. The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,785 comprises a small, hollow container in which the gloves are stored. The gloves can be accessed and extracted via an aperture through which the gloves can be pulled out of the interior of the container. This device also includes a clip on the back used for attaching the device to the user""s belt.
As stated, gloves are extracted from the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,785 by pulling the gloves through the aperture. This would likely require two fingers at a minimum. However, fitting two fingers into the small aperture would be difficult given the difference in diameters between the aperture and the user""s fingers. Thus, extracting gloves from the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,785 may take too much time, especially when the device is used in a crisis situation. As a result, treatment to the patient may be delayed.
Furthermore, the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,785 has only one common cavity within which the gloves are stored. Ordinarily, the gloves would be balled inside the cavity for storage. After loading, the gloves may fold into each other because of the glove""s natural tendency to expand and unfold when balled up. The user would be unable to see what they are pulling from the device because the small aperture prevents them from doing so. Thus, it is foreseeable that the user might grab two gloves, folded into each other, when the user only intended to grab a single glove. With two or more gloves, the user may be encumbered, and the user might even drop the extra gloves, rendering the dropped gloves contaminated and unusable. This could also delay treatment to the patient.
Also, in order to reduce the chance that more than one glove will be extracted from the device at once would require a careful loading process. More specifically, each individual glove would have to be folded and layered into the device. The user may dislike this time consuming loading process and choose rather to load the device in a conventional manner. In doing so, the user would risk grabbing multiple gloves at once as described above.
Last, the aperture in the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,785 is permanently open. This open aperture could provide a pathway for contaminants to enter the container and taint the gloves. Therefore, the open aperture in the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,785 could allow the gloves to become unsanitary.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,974 discloses another device that attempts to address the problems stated above. This device comprises a lightweight, collapsible pouch that can attach to the user""s belt. The device comprises a large aperture through which gloves are loaded and a separate slit cut lengthwise in the pouch through which gloves are unloaded. The device also comprises a flap that can detachably cover both the loading aperture and the unloading slit.
As stated, the flap on the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,974 covers both the aperture and the unloading slit; however it does not completely seal the two openings. Thus, this device also provides an open pathway for foreign particles and germs to enter the container and taint the gloves contained therein. Furthermore, the pouch disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,974 comprises a single cavity used to collectively store the gloves. As stated above with regards to U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,785, this could cause the user to inadvertently grab two or more gloves at once and the user might drop a glove as a result and render it unusable.
Hence, from the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is a need for a lightweight, portable container used for transporting sanitary gloves that is easy to load and unload and that ensures the gloves will stay in a sanitary condition.
The sanitary glove container assembly of the present invention satisfies the aforementioned needs because it is a lightweight, portable container that encloses and secures the gloves in a protective environment.
In one embodiment, the container assembly comprises a first hollow member which defines a first inner space. The first hollow member comprises a first opening at a first end of the first hollow member, and the area of the first opening is sufficiently large such that a sanitary glove can be positioned therethrough, and the sanitary glove can be retained within the first inner space.
Similarly, the container comprises a second hollow member, which defines a second inner space. The second hollow member also comprises a second opening at a second end of the second hollow member, and the area of the second opening is sufficiently large such that a sanitary glove can be positioned therethrough, and the sanitary glove can be retained within the second inner space.
The container assembly also comprises a securing mechanism that secures the first end of the first hollow member to the second end of the second hollow member so that when the securing mechanism is engaged, the first and second inner spaces define a single enclosed protected environment for the sanitary gloves.
Advantageously, this embodiment of the present invention allows the user to transport gloves in a sanitary enclosed environment where they are unlikely to be contaminated.
In another embodiment, the container assembly of the present invention comprises a first member defining a first recess that is sized so as to receive a first sanitary glove. The first member includes a first neck portion that defines a first opening that is sized so as to inhibit the first sanitary glove from falling out of the first recess.
The container assembly also comprises a second member defining a second recess that is sized so as to receive a second sanitary glove. The second member includes a second neck portion that defines a second opening that is sized so as to inhibit the second sanitary glove from falling out of the second recess.
Also, the first and second neck portions of the first and second members are configured to be interconnected together such that the first and second openings are closed so as to inhibit entry of foreign particles into the first and second recesses.
In this embodiment, a sanitary glove can be individually positioned and retained within both the first and second recess as a result of the decreased area of the first and second openings. This inhibits a glove from falling from the open container assembly inadvertently, and, advantageously, this increases the likelihood that the sanitary glove will remain uncontaminated. This also inhibits a glove from moving from its respective recess to its neighboring recess when the closed container assembly is closed. This results in individual encapsulation of the glove, which is advantageous because this ensures that the user will easily be able to load and unload the device. Separate encapsulation of the sanitary gloves also allows the user to put on the gloves in a more sanitary manner.
Another embodiment of the present invention comprises a method of storing sanitary gloves for transporting. A first step involves positioning a sanitary glove inside a first hollow member through a first opening in the first hollow member and into a first recess. The area of the first opening is smaller than the cross sectional area of the first recess such that the sanitary glove is prevented from escaping the first hollow member.
A second step involves positioning a sanitary glove inside a second hollow member through a second opening in the second hollow member and into a second recess. The area of the second opening is smaller than the cross sectional area of the second recess such that the sanitary glove is prevented from escaping the second hollow member.
A third step involves joining the first hollow member to the second hollow member with a securing mechanism to define a single enclosed protected environment that protects the gloves from foreign contaminating particles. This also individually encapsulates the sanitary gloves and isolates the sanitary glove contained in the first hollow member from the sanitary glove contained in the second hollow member and vice versa.
Advantageously, using this method enables the user to transport gloves in a sanitary, enclosed environment where the gloves are unlikely to be contaminated. Also, the gloves are likely to remain sanitary even when the container assembly is open because the container assembly inhibits the gloves from falling out. Last, the container assembly allows for quick and sanitary loading and unloading because the gloves are individually encapsulated.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.